Dress codes (in certain instances)

The Alberta Human Rights Actprohibits discrimination in the area of employment on the grounds of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religious beliefs, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, physical disability, mental disability, marital status, family status, source of income and sexual orientation. You can read more about the protected grounds.

Workplaces frequently have rules about dress. These rules may require employees to wear particular clothing, such as uniforms or protective gear. If such rules conflict with an employee's religion or any other protected ground in the AHR Act, the employer has a duty to accommodate the employee to the point of undue hardship. You can read more about duty to accommodate. However, an employer can set reasonable rules that do not conflict with the AHRAct. For example, hospitals may require nurses to wear different coloured uniforms when on duty so that their professional designation or assignment (RN, LPN, surgical and so on) can be easily identified. This is not discrimination under the AHR Act if the requirement does not affect an employee adversely based on a protected ground.